The field of closers narrow with Putz in focus

Pitcher Kerry Wood is close to signing with the Cleveland Indians and former Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez has agreed to a deal with the New York Mets, meaning there are two less teams out there interested in traded for Seattle closer J.J. Putz.

That also means that the teams left looking for a closer, Detroit, Milwaukee and St. Louis among them, have two fewer options to consider, although Rockies free agent Brian Fuentes, once a Mariner, is out there on the free agent market, too.

Does this mean that the Mariners are going to trade closer J.J. Putz, who is being sought by all three of the just-named teams?

It may seem so, but I have trouble buying it. There is a general belief that the Mariners will have no problem using former first-round draft choice Brandon Morrow as a closer. Morrow, after all, did a nice job closing for five weeks when Putz was on the disabled list mid-season.

But one of the cardinal rules for baseball executives is that starting pitching is the coin of the realm. If you have a pitcher who has a chance to be dominant as a starter, you owe it to yourself and to the pitcher to have him start.

Morrow is just such a pitcher. Yes, he could close. But looking at the long-term picture, which is something GM Jack Zduriencik says he needs to do, the Mariners would seem to be best served having Morrow start